Front garden to tarmac driveway in Whitstable

Front garden driveway conversion prices in Whitstable

For Whitstable, we apply the South East rate, about 10% above our UK midpoint. Your survey turns these ranges into a fixed price.

Item	Guide price (inc VAT)
New black tarmac drive, full dig-out and new sub-base	£66–£105 per m²
Example: 20 m² drive	£1,450–£2,300
Example: 30 m² drive	£2,200–£3,450
Example: 45 m² drive	£2,950–£4,700

As a 2026 guide in Whitstable, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £66–£105 per m² including VAT, so a 20 m² drive is roughly £1,450–£2,300. Guide only; the survey confirms a fixed price.

Where we work in and around Whitstable

Whitstable at a glance. Whitstable is 23 miles from Maidstone, and we survey there as part of Kent cover.

Postcodes: CT5
Area: Kent
Nearest towns: Herne Bay (5 miles), Canterbury (6 miles), Faversham (7 miles), Sittingbourne (13 miles)
Pricing: South East, about 10% above our UK midpoint
Kerb approvals: The highway authority

The same service is available in Herne Bay, Canterbury, Faversham, Sittingbourne, Margate.

Planning and kerb rules for Whitstable

In England, householder permitted development (Class F of the 2015 General Permitted Development Order) lets you lay a hard surface in front of a house without planning permission if it is porous, or if the rainwater is directed to a permeable area within the property. If the area is more than 5 m² and neither applies, you need permission. Standard dense tarmac is not porous, so a dense tarmac drive needs a lawn, border, channel to a soakaway or other permeable route for its water. A vehicle crossing over the footway is a separate approval, from the highway authority (the county or unitary council).

Layer by layer

What is included in a front garden driveway conversion?

Turning a lawn or front garden into off-road parking: dig, base, tarmac, kerb crossing and planting.

Check the space: length, width and gate posts for a car
Lawn, hedge roots and topsoil removed
Kerbs or blocks as edge restraint
Water directed to a border, soakaway or channel
A planted strip kept where it helps drainage and looks

Your questions answered

How long does a front garden driveway conversion take in Whitstable?

Usually 2–4 working days, after the kerb approval. We book Whitstable surveys alongside other jobs in Kent, and give you dates once the specification is agreed.

Are there planning or highway rules in Whitstable?

In England, a new hard surface over 5 m² in front of a house needs planning permission unless it is porous or drains to a lawn, border or soakaway within the property. Dropped kerbs are approved by the highway authority (the county or unitary council).

Which Whitstable postcodes do you cover?

We cover Whitstable including CT5, and nearby Herne Bay, Canterbury, Faversham.

How much does a front garden driveway conversion cost in Whitstable?

As a 2026 guide in Whitstable, front garden driveway conversion work runs at about £66–£105 per m² including VAT, so a 20 m² drive is roughly £1,450–£2,300. Edging, drainage and a dropped kerb are priced separately where needed.

Also in Whitstable

Ready for a price in Whitstable? Use the guide price tool or send the form, and we'll arrange a visit.